Improvement in automatic wind-instruments



E. P. NEEDHAM.

AUTOMATN'WINDINSTRUMENR No. 191,460. Patented May 29,1877.

WITNESSES. INVENTOR.

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UNITED STATES PATENT ELIAS P. NEEDHAM, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN AUTOMATIC WIND-INSTRUMENTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 191,460., dated May 29,1877; application filed February 5, 1877.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, ELIAS P. NEEDHAM, of

' the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Wind-Instruments; and I hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisspecification.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improvement in wind-instruments, aportion being shown as broken off in order to more clearly show theother parts. Fig. 2 represents a piece or sheet of paper or othermaterial, so arranged as to form the valve for any desired number ofreeds or other sound-producing instruments, and perforated so as toallow at certain points, and for certain spaces of relative time, thewind to pass through the same and produce the desired pitch and dura--tion of tone.

This invention relates to improvements in reed or other organs operatedby wind, and provided with long sheets or rolls of paper or othermaterial, having holes to represent exactly the notes of differentpieces of music, (which paper is made to serve as a valve to coverair-passages which lead to or from the reeds or other means of producingthe sounds,) and by the movement of the sheet over the surface of theair-ducts the desired sounds are produced; and the invention consists inthe construction and arrangement which will be more fully hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

In the drawings, A represents a set of reeds tuned to correspond with aregularly-graduated scale of notes. B represents a sheet of paper orother suitable material, provided with perforations to correspond withthe note desired to be sounded, and the duration of the same.

The sheet B forms the valve to all the reeds,

and the apertures b b, when over the reed-cell, will allow the wind topass through the reed or vibrating-chamber, and thus sound the note andact as a valve on all the notes of the instrument, except those to besounded, to produce any desired tune, all as usual and well known.

In the drawings, 0 is a roller on which the prepared sheets may be orare wound. d is a hinged roller pressed down on the sheet by the springE. fis a platform or table. G is a crank, by means of which the rolleris turned, and which may be so arranged as to work a set of bellows. a arepresent apertures or wind-passages; b b, apertures in the sheet,corresponding to the note to besounded, the duration of the same, andthe location of the notes in the instrument.

Two rollers, c, and two rollers, 61, may be used, and the sheet may bepassed between them, and such rollers may be covered with some elasticmaterial, or held together by means of springs or any other method.

h represents a guide by which the sheet is maintained in the properposition, as it is important that the perforations shall be accuratelyguided to the location of the proper sound-producin g instrument.

I am aware that it is not new to use perforated paper sheets or platesto act as valves for musical instruments operated by wind, as such havebeen heretofore used but What I claim is The combination, in areed-organ, of the perforated roll or sheet of paper, acting as a valveto the reeds, with the hinged roller or rollers d and springs E,substantially as and for the purpose described.

E. I. NEEDHAM.

Witnesses ALONZO BRYM'ER,

Ones. A. NEEDHAM.

